22 December 2009

Mzee Mbuyu

Towering over the African township of Harambe in Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a large baobab tree that can be seen from almost any spot in Harambe. In fact, this baobab tree is so large that a building complete with thatched roof was built around it. The people of Harambe call this tree Mzee Mbuyu, which in Kiswahili means Old Man Baobab. According to record, Mzee Mbuyu has stood watch over the comings and goings of the town for near a thousand years. With all the activity in the area currently, especially in relation to the conservation movement, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Old Man Baobab was still growing and watching over Harambe for another thousand years.